Acid Rain
by OnaTorre
Summary: Mika is taken from the hospital after a devastating truama, it's up to Raizo to find her. Confrontation after confrontation, there love has failed them. Is love enough to bring them back together to defeat the other clans?
1. Future Foe Scenerios

It was raining acid. But it didn't burn their skin as they stood under the red skies. Waiting. Contemplating. Feeling.

She lifted her index and middle finger of her left hand and placed it over the right side of her chest feeling the steady rhythm of her heart. "My heart is on the right side. " A sprinkle of purity ran down her dark cheeks.

"Kill me." She whispered in his ear taking his hand which held the sword and placing the tip where her two fingers had just been. She whispered the two words again, slowly.

He gripped his Katana tightly refusing to give in to her request, but something pushed. Something pushed him from the back of his mind- the dark side of his mind. His hands trembling uncontrollably, he took one last look into her chocolate eyes.

Brown on brown.

Chocolate on chocolate.

Cocoa on cocoa.

With a quick movement of his hand, he thrust the sword into her chest piercing her heart. She smiled while blood trickled down her full, pink lips. "Thank you." She muttered before inhaling her last breath and falling into his arms.

Raizo's eyes fluttered open in desperation, and he gasped for air clutching onto the itchy sheets that covered his sweat embraced body. _Damn, _he thought. _Another nightmare…about her. _

Silk covered bodies toppled onto each other roughly.

Nails dug into tanned skin.

Soft lips pressed brusquely against red wonders.

Eyes rolled back as pleasure was too much to handle.

Trifled moans were unleashed in a chorus of beautiful sounds.

Three soft words were spoken into high atmospheres.

Peace was still.

Dark eyelids flashed open reluctantly, partly not wanting to leave the sweet dream. Partly, terrified at the longing. Mika sat up in her soft bed letting the sunlight from her window wash her with its glory before stepping out of bed. Feeling dirty already, she stripped from her clothes and stepped into the shower.

_ Where are you Raizo?_ She thought. The shower reminded her of soft rain. This never failed to remind her of the natural scent of rain that clung to his body. Even if blood had spilled.

Raizo momentarily forgot where he was, taking in his surroundings. He was on a rooftop of an apartment building with his legs crossed underneath him. This was odd for him. Realizing he had dozed while meditation, he mentally slapped himself in the face. He knew better then this, but it had just become more and more regular.

Dozing. Nightmares. Sweating. Awakening.

The moon was still high in the sky, barely a crescent, dimly illuminating against the purple sky. A large star shone in the sky above him. He softly whispered a wish that rolled off his lips sadly; Raizo vaguely recalled the last moment he laid eyes on her.

_It was quiet night, just like any other; yet, jazz filled the air tonight. A small colored man danced with his silver alto saxophone and spun a web of sweet, melodic sounds that filled the street Raizo sauntered on quickly. With a swift movement, he placed a twenty dollar bill into the saxophonist's black and white hat before turning the corner and entering into a small lounge. _

_ His environment instantly shifted from quiet jazz in the mist filled streets to Technicolor couches and erotic music. Raizo was never fond of music, and he was immediately disgusted by the heavy bass coming from the large, grey speakers the moment the melody hit his ears. Frisky adults were pushing their bodies together in rhythmic movement. _

_ Raizo scowled. _

_ Dark, curly hair drifted along in a sea of lights tangling with red, curvy strands. Raizo smirked. _I didn't know she went both ways. Can't believe they've got her doing this, _he thought to himself. _

_ Raizo strided smoothly to the two ladies dancing erotically- dark skin pressed to light, fingers licked soft skin, bodies moving against eachother in rhythmic pattern. _

_ Raizo was repulsed. _

_ He surressed his feelings of utter disgust and slyly moved the red head's hands from Mika, replacing them with his own He shoved her legs from between Mika's and placed his own two legs between hers. He began swaying ignoring the red head's protests. _

_ "I've been looking for you." Raize whispered in Mika's right ear nibbling her ear lobe sending chills down her spine. _

_ "So this is the kind of things they've got you doing?"_

_ Mika had her eyes clsed, knowing well who it was, wishing she could press their bodies together closer. She shook her head, pulling herself out of the trance she was in. She struggled to escape from his grasp, knowing her prey was getting away. _

_ Raizo gripped harder. Bit her shoulder this time. _

_ Mika screamed. But not in despair. _

_ "Oh Mika, Mika. After all that time I spent looking for you; you're not getting away that easy.' Raizo whispered. Each word smooth and sensual like silk. He flicked his tongue over the bite mark he created in her dark skin. _

Ugh, just acting the fucking part, _Raizo thought. _

_ "Let's step outside." Raizo says, grasping onto Mika's hips and pushing her out the door before she could protest. Not that she wanted too. _

_ Jazz filled the air once again as Raizo and Mika stumbled onto the sidewalk clumsily. Mike regains her balance adjusting to the moonlight above her. She tugged on her dark, green jacket and smoother her short black skirt. She stared at the ground averting her eyes from Raizo's. _

_ "Where did you learn to do that?" she teases, daring herself to look into Raizo's eyes; she chose "truth" instead. _

_ Raizo caught this cautious attitude and chose his words carefully. He whispered softly, "I've had. . . a lot of time on my hands." _

_ "Doing what?" _

_ Raizo takes his right hands and smoothly slips it underneath her chin and lifts her head until their eyes meet. "Like I said, I've been looking for you." _

_ Mika sensed the sincerity in his voice and was overpowered by happiness. She presses her face to his chest and wraps her arms around in waste in a tight embrace. For a split second, all was well in the world. And then she realized how wrong this was. She had a job to attend to. _

_ Raizo feels the tightness of the embrace falter and tries to move away sensing the tension that had risen in the air, but Mika pulls him back holding tighter, almost to the point where it hurt. His walls had almost crumbled, but now they were back up again. He was not vulnerable anymore. _

_ "I'm so sorry, Raizo." Mika says plunging a small dagger into Raizo's back barely missing his spine. Raizo crumbled to the ground knowing all too well this was going to happen. What he didn't know is how much it would hurt him in the end. _

Mika was wrong. She had to admit it; she was wrong. Sitting a room, ravaged by men. The scent of them still clinging to the pillows. Cheap cologne. Worthless sweet talk.

Shit. She was wrong. Utterly wrong. Ningato in hand. Katana stripped to her back. Blood. Worthless.

Fuck. She was wrong.

Raizo took a swig of his soda letting the bottle rest gently on the glass coffee table while observing his surroundings.

"You like my pad?" he heard a woman's voice purr from the words from a distance.

"We were supposed to meet in confinement." Raizo mutters almost automatically.

"Uhh, just like you to only want to get the job done." Raizo notices the sudden close proximity of the woman's voice and tenses, moving his hand closer to his Balisong.

"Oh, relax darling. I'm not going to hurt you. Hm, unless you want me too." She purred from an unknown area. She emerged from the shadows in black—black jeans, black t-shirt, black eyes, black hair; with the exception of the fire red streak running through her short haircut. Her hair fell around her face complementing her cheekbones and large eyes.

"Stop playing games, Teagan. Just give me the information." Raizo mutters sternly.

"Boo, stop bitching and moaning. I've got you god damn information right here." Teagan replies dangling a baige envelope in front of her chest. She flicks the envelope on the table gently and rolls her eyes. "You must really like this girl to go through all this trouble of finding her"

Raizo stands and picks up the large envelope from the table, and he begins to walk toward the door. He twists the doorknob and begins to open the door when he pivots to face Teagan.

"I don't just like her; I love her."


	2. Missing

_**Hey, Ona here. I just really wanted to thank Good Work for his/her review. It's really helped me structure the next couple of chapters. Hopefully this next chapter will answer some questions. Thank you so much to my readers. **_

_**Love, Ona**_

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**Chapter 2: Missing**

"Why do you think you're here?" a man's voice echoed off the shallow walls of a light, blue room.

Silence.

"If you're not going to answer, then we can just sit here." The man made eye contact with the dark woman sitting across from him. "For three hours." He muttered trying hopelessly not to smirk. The women sitting across from him sighed. Defeated.

"I'm here because I suffered 'an emotional trauma that needs to be dealt with mentally and physically.'" The dark woman said, quoting the man in front of her.

"You are correct, Mika. Good work. I think we might be getting somewhere." The man said in his monotone voice.

Mika scoffed, rolling her eyes. Disgusted.

"Now, Mika," he whispered changing positions in his chair, "what do you think may have caused this emotional trauma?"

"I. Don't. Know." Mika spat trying hard to hold back the awful memories that were colliding with her conscious.

"Oh, but I think you do Mika." The man said, smiling at every word.

"You wanna' know, _Doc_? He promised he'd come, but he didn't. He never came." Mika retorted, her voice breaking down little by little each word she spoke.

"And this is where we need to start Mika. Right here."

"I-I…h-he said he'd come. I woke up waiting to embrace him, but there was nothing. Nothing but empty air." A piece of rain silently fell down Mika's cheeks as she was overtaken by the clash of unwanted memories and consciousness.

_Ding. _

_ Dong. _

_ Ding. _

_ Dong. _

_ The bells are ringing for you Mika. Answer it. Answer it with a beat from your heart... ._

_ Ding. _

_ Beat. _

_ One nurse. One nurse opened the door to Mika's room noticing the sudden spark of life that emerged from her spirit. The large, golden bells outside signaled the beginning of Christmas Day. New Life. Old Life. Old life being rejuvenated. The nurse touched Mika's arm checking her pulse. _

Why hadn't the doctor hooked her up to a machine? Did they really think she was already dead. _The nurse thought feeling her pulse hoping the patient would wake up. She held her hand and checked her vitals. Up and running. She sat down next to her bed reluctant to leave her side. _

You'll wake up soon.

_Mika's conscious was messy. Unorganized. Unlike her in every way. It splattered paint where it wished disregarding the already painted walls. It was horrendous. But one thought stayed in place. One thought crept its way through the oblivion. One thought. _

_ "R-R.." Mika stuttered barely reaching consciousness. The nurse jumped from her seat as Mika's grip tightened on her hand. She looked at Mika's face noticing the life had begun creeping its way back into her body. _

_ 'R-R…" she stuttered again, this time her eyes flickering ever so slightly open. _

_ "Mika… Mika" the nurse whispered trying to keep contact. She needed to wake up. Now. _

_ "Raizo!" she screamed, her eyes suddenly full of life. Want. Desire. Need. _

_ The nurse took Mika's hand and sat her up trying hard to keep her stable. She was shaking violently. She didn't look up at the nurse, just her hand. _

This is not his hand. This is not his hand. _Mika thought. _Why isn't this his hand? Where is he? I need him. I need his embrace. Please.

_Mika's eyes wandered slowly to the nurses face, reluctant to accept that he wasn't there. He wasn't. Her gaze was met with the anxious eyes of an olive-skinned nurse. The nurse was Asian with light brown hair with maroon streaks running through it. Mika noticed her black roots and assumed she'd dyed her hair. The nurse smiled, but it didn't quite reach her anxious eyes. Mika noticed this and tensed. _

_ The nurse caught her. _

_ "No need to worry Mika. I'm here to _help you_." She said stressing the last words. This statement made Mika uncomfortable and she clasped her hands together. Her mind still wandered to him. _

_ "Where is Raizo?" she asked soon realizing what an unreasonable question it was considering the nurse probably didn't even know Raizo. She smiled laying her head back down realizing how much pain she was in. A burning sensation writhed through her circulating through her blood ending at a small spot on the left part of her chest. She put her hand over the spot remembering how it came to be. _

_ "Raizo will not be accompanying us today Mika." The nurse responded after a long moment of silence. She looked at Mika trying to hold back a smirk, but failed. Mika's heart filled with panic as she processed the nurse's words. If she even was a nurse at all. _

_ Mika screamed. _

_ Before she could produce more than a second of sound, a swift hand cupped itself over Mika's mouth pushing the scream back into her. Mika felt a warm breath behind her, scratching her ear. Itching to be heard. _

_ "Will you please stop screaming? There are other patients here ya know." A soft voice said behind her different then the nurses. It was melodic with a slight English accent that rolled off her tongue like dew. _

_ "Y-you don't s-sound like an assassin." Mika managed to say through the women's fingers. _

_ "That's because I'm not. I'm what you call a Collector. I _collect_ things for people." she responded taking her hand off of Mika's mouth. _

_ "Who are you collecting for?" Mika spat, overcoming her fear with anger. _

_ The woman backed away from Mika's bed and began unbuttoning her blouse, showing the black shirt that resided underneath. _

_ "I actually don't know. Some clan. They really want you too. You should feel honored." she said slowly taking off her blouse. "They sent the best." She slowly whispered with a smirk, shedding her pants as well. She stood before Mika in all black. _

_ "Now, no more chit chat. It's time to go."_

_ "I want to know where Raizo is. Now." Mika muttered grasping onto her bed sheets. _

_ The women stepped into the shadows of the room hiding herself. Only her eyes were visible. "They said you might ask about him. All I know is he's not going to be here anytime soon." She retorted closing her eyes, completely invisible. _

_ "Like I said, let's go." Mika heard a familiar voice say, but it was closer this time. She felt a hand on her shoulder as she was pulled from the bed into the shadows. _

_ Gone into the night. _

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_**Okay, gotta admit that probably didn't clear up any questions. (my bad) Maybe a few. But I promise the next chapter will. **_

_**I am so sorry for the week long update. I just had a busy week with school. T.G.! Hopefully, I'll be able to update tomorrow. I will try my best. **_

_**Could you readers tell me if you think my chapters are too short? I feel like they're too short, but that's just my opinion. **_

_**Hehe… I kinda like the mystery. I really hope you like it too. I hope you're not too confused. ;-) **_

_**Chapter title inspired by Missing by Evanescence **_

_**Thanks to all my readers! **_

_**Until tomorrow, **_

_**Ona**_


	3. Elegia

_**Hey guys, **_

_**Again, sorry about the week long update. My brother had a tennis tournament Saturday and Sunday (in which he placed 2**__**nd**__**, yay!), soI wasn't able to update. This week has been crazy! I hate high school. Anyway, I'm going to try to keep the apologies at a minimum. :-) Hopefully you all will like this chapter. **_

_**Chapter title inspired by Elegia by **__Giorgio Costantini(Beautiful piano piece. Look it up)_

_**Love, Ona **_

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_**Chapter 3: Elegia **_

_ He reached toward the glint of sunlight that splattered along the surface hoping to find the end of this deep, aquatic hole. _

_ But he couldn't touch. _

_ It seemed to drift farther and farther away. Crimson shadows engulfed his body, and soon he realized he was falling. Just falling. Into darkness. As the water plunged into his lungs restricting respiration, salt seeped into his chocolate eyes, burning the very life out of them. He accepted his fate and placed his hand over his blood stricken heart feeling the exasperated beating of his heart. As his soul whispered goodbye, he closed his eyes and let go of all thoughts. _

_ He was finally at peace._

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_ She stood at the edge of the hillside overlooking the black ocean, awaiting the arrival of her client. _

_ He was fifteen minutes late. _

_ She sighed and slipped a cigarette out of her jean pocket. She stared at it for a moment contemplating whether or not to smoke on the job. She tested her luck. She inhaled nasty scent of smoke, enjoying the tickling sensation it brought her nose. _

_ She checked her watch once more and tapped her foot against a rock. She blew smoke rings while she waited. She stared at the sea, unable to see the fish that squirmed around for it was too dark. She was about ready to turn away when she noticed a slight alteration in the pigmentation of the water. It was lighter and less dense. _

_ She strode to the edge of the water and stuck a hand in the water. When she pulled it out, it was crimson red. She brought her hand up to her face and smelled it. _

_ Blood. _

_ She knelt down and looked closely at the water hoping to find the source of the blood. When she found none, she stepped into the water and the blood stained her tennis shoes. She waded into the water until she was knee deep and stopped. That's when she spotted him. The source of the blood. _

_ A man floated face up in the water and looked no to be breathing. This time, the woman plunged herself into the water head first and swam toward the body. Once there, she grabbed onto his hand and felt a pulse. She sighed and swam his body back to the hill. _

_ She lifted his body onto the soft grass toppled onto him with heavy breaths. She ripped his oxford shirt off ignoring the bloody wounds and pushed onto his chest. With no luck there, she tilted his head up, opened his mouth, and pressed hers against his, breathing air into his lungs. A soft gurgle strung from his throat, and then he coughed frantically, spitting up water. _

_ She smiled letting him cough up all the water. After a long moment, the coughing subsided and he was welcomed with a warm-hearted smile. He smiled in return and sat up using all his strength. _

_ "W-w-who.. are… y-y-you?" he managed to cough out. _

_ "Just call me Teagan. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She said holding out a hand. _

_ He smiled and took her hand. "Thank you for saving my life Teagan. You can call me Raizo." _

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_ "Are you sure you don't want to stop by the hospital?" Teagan muttered as she wrapped another blanket over Raizo's now bandaged body. _

_ "Yes, I heal quickly." Raizo responded quickly shuddering at her touch. _

_ Teagan noticed this and moved away from him slowly, sitting across from him holding a mug full of hot tea. _

_ Teagan opened her mouth as if to say something, but Raizo beat her to the punchline. "Teagan, I won't tell you what happened. And I won't tell you what I do. But I will tell you that I've killed. Killed a lot of people." Raizo muttered staring into the fire that Teagan had lit. _

_ A moment of silence passed by as Teagan thought of what to say. "I'm an informant." She began. "I work for…" she paused taking a sip of her tea, "I work for assassins. I give all the targets and information to the assassins. You say you've killed a lot of people; I'm the one who tells yo who to kill." She looked up at Raizo as she said the last words with a melancholy gaze. _

_ Raizo matcher her gaze and smiled, knowing their relationship wouldn't end there. _

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Raizo was pulled from his thoughts as he shuffled through the contents of the baige envelope Teagan had given to him. He laid the papers out on the coffee table in front of him and spread out the sheets.

Pictures.

Bios.

Locations.

Nothing Raizo didn't already know. _Teagan's losing her edge_ Raizo thought with a smirk. He sighed and shuffled the papers back into a pile read to throw them in the just lit fireplace. He walked over to the fireplace and threw the papers in letting them fly wherever they may. He slowly pivoted, about to walk away when he noticed a small piece of red paper fly by his peripheral vision.

Red. Not good.

He quickly turned back around ready to catch the paper in his hands, but it slipped through his fingers into the fire. Before it was completely consumed by the fire, Raizo caught a glimpse of bold letters written on the top.

**Immediate Eradication**

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_**Hopefully, you guys figured out what "immediate eradication" meant and who it was for. :-) **_

_**Now you know more about Teagan. She's like an innocent Rottweiler. All sentimental on the inside, but all roughness, talk, and game on the outside. **_

_**Warning: mild smut in the next chapter. So if you dislike, then you don't have to read. But come on, who doesn't like a little bit of smut? **_

_**Until next time,**_

_**Love Ona**_


	4. Science of Fear

_**Hi there! I finally updated. I got some great ideas, so please enjoy this chapter. It's a bit longer then some of my others, but I guess that's just an added bonus. Also, because of the type of scene, my writing's more action oriented rather than poetic. I still stick a few personifications and sprinkle a few metaphors in there so enjoy! I also officially changed the story to M for language, violent situations to come, and general theme. Sorry bout' that. **_

_**Chapter 4- The Science of Fear(song by The Temper Trap) **_

_**Disclaimer: I forgot to put this. I do not own this movie, nor characters except for my own OC. **_

Raizo slipped his finger off the trigger of the gun when he realized the waiter was just pulling out a pen to take their orders. He sighed deeply, letting his head fall. He had never gotten used to acting normal or being normal for that matter. The real world wasn't his place.

His hands were shaking, his veins popping out through his skin. It was nauseating for him to look at it. Tears of sweat drizzled down the back of his neck while his breaths were sucked in a little bit too quickly. He was scared. A foreign feeling to him. He'd never had butterflies run through his stomach in exasperated rhythms, or his knees almost buckle underneath him. No, Raizo had never been scared, until now.

He sat, propped on the roof of a building overlooking a small restaurant. A sniper was sitting in his hands while he looked through the scope.

Mika sat at a table with a man.

Raizo watched, knowing that this was the designated date and almost specified time for Mika to be killed. He wasn't accustomed to using guns; a bullet couldn't touch him. However, the clan he was dealing with was never above using firepower, so he consented to the use this one time. He knew he had to do everything in his power to keep Mika safe. He knew it wasn't healthy, following her around like this, but keeping her safe was his main priority, even if it wasn't welcomed.

He took to watching Mika again, releasing himself from the depths of his mind. Mika sat with her legs crossed, and her slender hands resting on her lap. Her hair was pulled back, with a few rebellious curls hanging down and touching her face shyly. She wore a dress that hugged her tight, tightening especially at her chest; her breasts threatening to spill over the lining. Raizo scoffed at the provocative way she handled herself in the dress. It was unlike her to be so. . . promiscuous. Mika would've looked heavenly to any hungry eyes, but Raizo could see the discomfort laced across her face. A fake smile was plastered on her lips, and her forehead creased whenever the man decided he needed a better view. Her fingers drummed uncomfortably on her lap while her legs fidgeted under the table, albeit only slightly. Even from his high view, Raizo could pick her apart piece by piece. She was out a place, completely out of place.

The man didn't seem to notice the subtle discomforts; he had his eyes roaming over her body possessively. Raizo cringed at the thought of another man or woman looking at her in such a way. Touching her. Tasting her skin. Or doing anything further. Raizo chose to ignore her obvious ventures with others because it killed him to know that he couldn't have her. That he couldn't hold her the way he wanted. That he couldn't whisper sweet words to her. Or wake up to her scent. It left him searching for a way to keep her out of his thoughts; although, she seemed to succeed to push through the barrier of his mind.

Raizo freed himself from his thoughts as he noticed a woman walk in and sit at a table at the far back of the restaurant. She had her back to Mika, but Raizo could barely make out a simple mirror sitting in her hands. Raizo suspected this was the woman sent to kill Mika; although, the way she handled herself and her lack of discreet mannerisms had Raizo thinking otherwise. The clan that ordered for Mika's expulsion was one of utter dominance; they would never carry out an assassination this messily.

It must be another, Raizo thought positioning himself on the ledge, so he could better see the woman. She had light skin and pink lips with slanted eyes and plucked eyebrows. She was pretty, no more no less. All around, she was normal- looking. To the naked eye, she looked of a hopeful student waiting for their first date. Raizo frowned at the thought; it was never something he'd had the chance to experience.

Another man sauntered in, dressed casually with his shirt untucked. He was immensely tall, but Raizo wasn't paying that any mind. He was staring suspiciously at the butt of his dagger hanging discreetly out of one side of his pants. Raizo knew the placement of the knife was extremely wrong, but it should never be showing. Although it was only a small part of the dagger, Raizo could still see the blatant mistake the man had made. He knew Mika would notice these falters; this would give her a motive to leave. Raizo couldn't piece things together; the setup of the operation was flawed. Completely flawed. How could a clan let this. . .

Raizo felt the familiar sting of blood being drawn from his body. He spun around quickly with the realization that somebody had struck him. He was met with an eerie silence and empty air. He took to his alter senses, but he couldn't hear anything. The atmosphere was completely silent except for his frantic breaths and quick heart beats.

Now, he was very frightened.

He felt out of his element; he couldn't sense anything, and his eyes couldn't find anything in the thick darkness. There was no sign of life other than his own.

Another sting sent shivers down his body.

Where was this coming from? Raizo dropped to his knees, his legs buckling underneath. He hadn't noticed how violently he'd been shaking until then. He was shaking for fear. Fear of what to come. He rested his eyes on the darkness before him, ready for the next hit, but it never came. After a few long moments, he considered himself safe. Why would my assailant strike twice, but no more. He or she could've killed me? Why not? Raizo thought to himself, forgetting where he was.

There was a scream below.

Then he remembered what he was here for. He quickly turned around, grabbing his sniper and looking through the scope. There was a deep fog of smoke enveloping the restaurant, making the area hard to observe. Raizo could hear startled screams and rapid footsteps, but none of them Mika's.

Two gunshots spirited through the sky.

Raizo plunged himself off the roof, down the stairs as quickly as he could go. He made it to the ground floor in mere seconds and rapidly ran into the street disregarding all traffic. He discarded his need for discreet movements and pushed what was left of the doors open to the restaurant. The glass panes had cracked, and almost completely fallen out of the frames. The moment Raizo stepped into the restaurant, he immediately fell to the floor when his air was completely overtaken by smoke. He stayed crawling on the floor, trying to use his alter senses to find Mika. He crawled past several bodies, although none of them were burnt. They looked more like they had been suffocated by the billows of smoke surrounding them.

Raizo moved on, hoping to catch sight of what caused the two gunshots. He crawled around for a few minutes, his eyes burning and his ears popping. He didn't notice the large size of the restaurant until then. He caught sight of the kitchen door and decided to go through, deciding his time in the main part of the restaurant too long. In the kitchen, he could breathe again, the smoke having not originated from the kitchen. How peculiar, Raizo though, standing up straight. Observing his surroundings, someone looked to have been struggling there. Several trays were thrown about, and pot and pans were strewn about the kitchen. Raizo wrote it off as panic, seeing as nobody was in the kitchen at that moment.

Raizo kept moving, keeping his eyes sharp and his ears even sharper. He could hear slight murmurs as he deepened his distance into the kitchen. It was a large kitchen with several different stations and sections for different types of cooking. He was currently walking through the section made for sauces and soups; he could smell the herbs and spices tingling at his nose. Multiple liquids of a variety of flavors and colors were splattered across the tiled floors, making it slippery as Raizo kept walking. As Raizo kept scooting along, the voices got louder and closer until he could hear what they were saying. They were speaking in a language he could not comprehend, in a low tone; although, their voices were shaking slightly.

He found the owners of the voices crouched in a corner, hand in hand, with pots and various foods around them. They were holding onto each, their nails digging into skin. The woman had tears in her eyes, and the man looked to be in shock. They were whispering words in another language in startled voices, but as soon as they caught sight of Raizo, they stopped speaking completely. Raizo was never good with people, especially people in shock. He kneeled down to their height and got as close as he dared. He looked the woman straight in the eye, ignoring the gentlemen who just stared off at the wall behind him.

"What have you seen?" Raizo asked in a hushed voice as not to alarm them.

The woman at first looked very confused, but answered after a few tense moments.

"Nous ne savons pas ce qui s'est passé!" the woman spoke in fast breaths, her words barely understandable. Raizo was just waiting for some sort of signal, or hand motion to guide him in the right direction.

"Mais il ya des corps…" she paused, her eyes filling with a new set of tears. "Deux corps" she whispered holding up two fingers.

She took her hand holding up her fingers and pointed that index finger to what looked like a cellar at the far right of that section of the kitchen. "…de cette façon." She whispered softly.

When Raizo turned to walk to the cellar, the woman began screaming and crying, her husband finally snapping out of his trance.

"Il criait!" she screamed, her voice bouncing off the walls. "Beaucoup de cris." She cried, her husband finally getting a hold on her.

Raizo whispered a small "thank you", words he knew they could not hear nor understand. He moved briskly toward the cellar, hoping he wouldn't find what he thought he would. He kicked the door open, ignoring his usual style of stealth.

Raizo held his breath.

He stepped into the room, and sighed angrily. Two bodies lay strewn across the icy floor; the man Mika sat with and the woman from the table in the back. Where was the man? Raizo instinctively crept his hand closer to his dagger, letting his eyes fall to the bodies. He knelt down, but only slightly because the amount of blood pooling around the bodies was enough evidence for Raizo to assume they were dead.

Raizo stood straight, creeping deeper into the cellar. He relied on his hearing, instead of his eyes; he wanted to make sure he did not get locked in. Raizo heard a shifting of what sounded like boxes further into the cellar, and stalked a little faster. He crept in the shadows, keeping himself unseen. He observed his surrounding, noting that several things in the cellar could be used as weapons—several metal bars, bottles of wine, and silverware packed into boxes. He caught sight of the shifting boxes and dove further into the shadows.

"The air always seems to change when you're around, Raizo." A familiar, feminine voice said. "I can feel it in my gut. True love, eh?" Raizo cursed to himself, stepping out of the shadows; his eyes met Mika's dark orbs. She was sitting on the cold floor, wielding a gun and looking a bit crazed. Her hair had successfully untied itself from her ponytail; it now sat upon her shoulders in crazy strands. Her clothes were covered in blood, and the rest of her was badly scathed. Raizo hated the sight, but continued to stare at her; he never got tired of looking into her eyes, seeing her soul.

"What happened, here?" Raizo whispered, shifting his eyes away from hers.

"I bet you can guess with all your spying, can't you?" Mika said, standing up.

Raizo remembered who he was talking too. "Only for you, _Mika_." He said, lacing her name with extra sarcastic innuendo. He couldn't help but enjoy her company while he had it. He smiled at her response, her body shivering. He guessed it was not from the low temperature of the cellar.

"We must leave." Raizo said blatantly, grabbing onto Mika's wrist. He'd spent a vast amount of the past year looking for and protecting Mika; he was not about to give up his chance to never let her go.

Mika followed behind, diligently muttering things to herself. Raizo guessed it must've been her first time killing someone, by the look of sheer madness in her eyes. Raizo remembered that look in his eyes, and he had reacted the same way; pure rage.

He led them out the cellar, looking for an alternate route other than the main part of the restaurant. He spotted a back door of the kitchen; although, he would've preferred to use the shadows but knew that Mika wasn't accustomed to such travel methods.

He kept both himself and her moving at a fast pace out of the restaurant and through several alleyways. He moved with vigor, dragging her along, not letting go. They finally reached their destination; they stood at the doorstep of a large apartment.

Mika finally stopped muttering to herself and observed her surroundings. "Where did you take me?" she asked, her eyes still crazed.

Raizo smirked, admiring her confusion. She almost looked like herself.

"Oh Mika, _Mika_." Raizo whispered, taking this chance to deftly pull Mika towards him and capture her lips with his. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and hugged her to him, wanting her closer. He pressed his other hand into her hair, admiring the feel of it. He kept his eyes sitting open until Mika closed her eyes, melting into the kiss. He tilted his head then to deepen the kiss, and he was very satisfied when Mika wrapped her arms around him, digging her nails into his skin. Their lips melded together in perfection, while their tongues danced together playfully.

With great reluctance, Raizo pulled away, searching for her eyes. When he found them, they were warm and passionate, all madness taken away. Raizo smiled, a genuine smile that had become so very lost, straying away from his lips. Mika returned the gesture, and Raizo could see her soul pouring out of her. He embraced her, pulling her into a tight hug burying his face in her hair.

"Mika, there's a friend I'd like you to meet."

_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. I'm not sure when my next update will be but hopefully sometime next week. **_

_**Until next time, **_

_**Ona**_


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